Form for concrete hull construction.



C. Z. HUBBELL.

FORM FOR CONCRETE HULL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JU NE10, 191s.

1,299,728. I Patented Apr. 8,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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FORM FOR CONCRETE HULL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED .IUNE I0 I9I8.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

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CLARENCE Z. HUBBELL, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO HULL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application filed June 10, 1918. Serial No. 239,211.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, CLARENCE Z. HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Forms for Concrete Hull Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The present invention relates to the construction of molding surfaces or forms for any plastic material and particularly adapted to forms for concrete hull construction. The principal object of the present inven-- tion is to so design the bottom molding surface and its connected and coacting parts that the lower mold may be positively lowered fromthe hull at the proper time by mechanical rather than hydraulic means, the latter construction being shown in my copending application Serial No. 223,32,-filed March 19, 1918, which illustrates the bottom molding surface as consisting of two separate hollow buoyant pontoons each capable of being withdrawn fromthe finished hull by being filled with sufficient water to sub- The present device may be considered an improvement over that illustrated; in the application cited, in that it substitutes positively acting nieans for withdrawing the lower mold and-also provides positive moans for concentrating the pull on a small width of the molding form at all-times during the lowering of the bottom form. 3 I H The present invention. also contemplates the simultaneous molding surfaces, the bottom mold being positively connected to each of I the side molds for this purpose. Referring now to the drawings, 2

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical. section through the molding shed and hull.

Fig, 2 is 'a vertical section on line 2-2 ofFigl. w

flTig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of'Fig. 1.

In'the drawings,4 represents a molding shed of the usual construction, consisting of a truss roof 5' supported by spaced columns 6 resting upon the foundation 7 the latter including in one integral structure,

withdrawal. of the three the floors 8, Walls 9, base 10, ways 11, and piers 12. The latter may, if desired, be of the construction shown in my co-pending application, but are preferably merely posts of the same or less width than the Ways 11, the piers being square in cross section while the ways extend the entire length of the shed or longer if it is desired to slide the finished hull out of the shed instead of floating it out, as in my prior case. It will be understood that these ways 11 may be either level or may slope to the exit end of the shed as may be desired, the selection depending upon conditions present and the desired method of launchin The side molding surfaces consist of a wooden form 13 faced with metal as at 1 1 and provided with a plurality of channel bars 15 preferably arranged in pairs corresponding in number to the vertical columns 6, such channels extendingthe entire height of the form to strengthen the same and also extending below the form as at 16 to provide feet 17 each carrying a roller 18 resting upon the floor 8 to support the weight of the side molding surfaces in their various adjusted positions.

Connected to the channel bars 15 as at 19 is a plurality of links 20 each of which is pivoted at its free end to a similar link 21 and the latter is pivoted to a vertical column 6 thereby providing a toggle 22 each having a central pivot bolt 23 extending through not only the two links of the toggle but through openings-in each of two vertical bars 241 for operating the toggles. The upper opening 25 fits the bolt 23, the next opening 26 is slightly slotted, the next or central opening 27 being slotted doubly as far, and so on, each slot providing a greater amount of lost motion than the one above it, this resulting in a graduated pull on the form as will later be described. Since the uppermost toggle has a tight joint it will be apparent that the top of the side moldmust be considerably flexed before the lower toggle is actuated, this rendering necessary a corresponding flexibility in the mold which may be secured by having the Wood backing thinner than is usual, or in any other preferred manner.

, The bottom molding surface consists of a plurality of sections 28 connected together by pins 29 passing through slots 30 in the havingslotted lugs on the metal plate and fixed pivot pins on the wood backing, or by having the slots in the backin g and the fixed pius or lugs in the metal face. It will be noted that whe'n'the backing 33 is lowered horizontally the pivot 34 will first be stressed and thatthe point 37 will be removed from the the hull '38 before the portion 39 will be acted upon, due to the lost motion in the pivotal connection 35, just below the portion 39. Since each of theslots 35 increases in length toward the keel 36', the stress will be exerted gradually to remove the metal face from the hull and considerably less power will be required to lower the form than if it were attempted to lowerthe metal molding surface as a whole, as is the case with previous constructions.

Toggles 40 arc'secured to the bottom form, as at 41,'and at 42 to a channel bar 43 set in the concrete base or floor 10, and have their central pivot bolts 44 extending through each of a pair of lowering bars 45 in the same manner as previously described in connection with the toggles of the side molding surfaces, except that all pivots of thetoggles 40 are close fitting in order to provide such lowering of the bottom forms as to keep the lower face 46 at all timesparallel to the base 10,, the gradual removal of the molding face being provided by theslotted connections between the metal plate 32 and the wood backing 33 of jthe bottom form.

No invention would be required to have bottom and side molding surfaces made alike in this regard, but I have shown my preferred construction. I

' The two toggles nearest the center, one oncither side, eachrcarry a hollow nut 47, one right hand and the other left hand, these nuts receiving a right and left hand threaded screw 48wh1ch has rigidly secured centrally thereof a sprocket wheel 49 by means of which the distance between the two nuts 47 and, therefore, the cent al pivots of the togglesmay be varied at will. Since all of the toggles are connected together at their centers to the side bars 45 they will move so as to keep the lower face of the wood backing 33 in-a horizontal plane.

I The various sprocket wheels are connected for simultaneous rotation by an endless chain-50 drivenfrom a sprocket wheel not shown, or the sprocket wheels -may be dividedinto sets of so many each, .in case the power necessary to drive all at once is found to be too great.

Each set of toggles of the side forms 'is connected to the set of bottom toggles in the same transverse vertical plane by means of a link 51 pivoted as at 52 to the vertical bars 24 and at 53 to one arm of a bell crank lever 54 mounted in a journal 55 in the channel 43. The other arm of the bell crank lever 54 is connected to a link 56 pivoted at 57 to the horizontal lowering bar 45. An exactly similar construction on the opposite side of the hull provides for the withdrawal of the other side molding surface at the same time, it being understood that the power is exerted to both sides from the center, the power being derived solely from the sprocket wheels 49 which in turn receives its power from the chain 50. r

The operation is as follows: With the parts as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1, power issupplied to the chain 50 which draws together the nuts 47 on opposite sides of the screw 48 raising the toggles 40 of the bottom form until they become vertical and the form is at its highest point and in such position that the weight which is later placed on the bottom form'by the pouring of the concrete is sustained in a vertical line through the center of the toggles and, therefore, exerts no stress on the horizontal lowering bars 45 or on the screw 48. The horizontal lowering bars being connected tothe bell crank lever 54 turn these levers so as to elevate the vertical bars 24 of the side forms, which, in turn, brings the side toggles 22 to a horizontal position at which time the lower edge 58 closely abuts the upper edge 38 of the bottom form, all these joints being so constructed as to form extremelyclose fitting joints.

After the concrete or other plastic mate rial has hardened sufiiciently power is exerted on the opposite side of the endless chain 50 which forces the nuts 47 apart, lowering the bottom ing successively on points on the flexible metal face 32 beginning at the extreme 'right 38 and gradually exerting force on portions further inward or toward the keel, thus pulling away the form from the concrete in much the same way as a porous plaster is removed, requiring very little power. The side forms being connected through the bell crank levers to thebottom forms are simultaneously removed, the upper point59 being first withdrawn since the upper joint 25 is a tight-fitting joint, the next lower toggle, since it fits in a hole which is slightly slotted, (does not begin to withdraw the side form until after the up per portion 59 has been slightly removed,

the wooden form 13, and its face of metal being sufficiently elastic as to readily flex form vertically but act-.

for this purpose, and so on down, the lowest toggle being the last to come into play. During all of this operation the weight of the side forms is taken care of by the rollers 18 which roll along metal plates or rails on the floors 8.

- When the forms are removed the hull rests upon blocks 61 on the ways 11 and on wedges 62 on the piers 12.- The hull may be removed from the molding shed after it has been waterproofed, and otherwise finished, in any preferred manner, which does not form any part of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A molding form for hull construction, consisting of a plurality of movable sections, means for moving said sections to molding position and for gradually removing each of said sections from the finlshed hull.

2. A molding form for hull construction, consisting of a plurality of flexible sectlons, and means for flexing each of said sections to remove same from the finished hull.

3. A molding form for hull construction, consisting of a plurality of flexible sections, and means for simultaneously flexing each of Said Sec ions to remove same from the finished hull.

4. In a device of the class descr1bed,a bottom form for concrete hull construction, stationary means for supporting the hull when hardened, and means for lowering the bottom form from said hull.

5. In a device of the class described, a bottom form for concrete hull construction, stationary means for supporting the hull when hardened, and means for gradually removing the face of the form from the hull.

6. In a device of the class described, a single form for molding the bottom of a concrete hull and part of the sides thereof, means for removing said form from the hull, and means for supporting the hull when the form is removed.

7 In a device of the class described, means for molding a bottom and part of the sides of a concrete hull, means for removing said means from the hull, and means for supporting the hull when the first named means is removed.

8. A molding form for hull construction, consisting of a plurality of movable sections, means for moving said sections to molding position and for removing said sections from the finished hull, and means for supporting the hull when the molding form is removed.

9. A molding form for hull construction,

consisting of a plurality of movable sections, means for moving said sections to molding position and for gradually removing each of said sections from the finished hull, and means for supporting the hull when the sections are removed.

10. A molding form for hull construction, consisting of a plurality of flexible sections, means for flexing each of said sections to remove same from the finished hull, and means to support the hull when the flexible sections are removed.

11. In a device of the class described, a form for molding the bottom and other parts of a hull, said form consisting of a vertically movable backing and a holding face pivoted thereto.

12. In a device of the class described, a form for molding the bottom and other parts of a hull, said form consisting of a vertically movable backing and a plurality of molding faces pivoted thereto, each of said molding faces being movable with respect to the backing.

13. In a device of the class described, a form for molding the bottom and parts of the side of a. hull, consisting of a vertically movable backing, a molding face on said backing, and a plurality of graduating pin and slot connections between said backing and saidplate, whereby when the backing is lowered the face will be gradually removed from the hull.

1 1. In a device of the class described, a bottom form,-means for elevating and lowering said form including a plurality of toggles, means for moving each of said toggles to vertical position so that no thrust will be exerted on the means for moving the toggles.

15. In a device of the class described, a one-piece form for molding the bottom and part of the sides of a hull of plastic material, and means for lowering the form from the hull when the plastic material has hardened sufficiently.

16. A side form for hull construction, means for withdrawing the form from the hull, lugs on said form, and rollers mounted in said lugs for taking the gravity thrust of the form in all positions.

17. A side form for hull construction, means for gradually withdrawing the form from the hull, means for pivotally supporting the form while it is being gradually withdrawn and for taking the gravity thrust of the form in its withdrawn position.

CLARENCE Z. HUBBELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. O. 

